A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume II, Part 77

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1006

USA > Indiana > A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume II > Part 77

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1833. He attended the common schools until the age of fourteen, receiving such instruction as it was in the power of the country pedagogue to give, when he re- moved to Bluffton, Indiana. There he entered the store of his brother, John Studabaker, as clerk, to whom he feels under obligations for his business training in early life, remaining in the business for ten years, and gaining a thorough knowledge of human nature and of the ways of transacting business. On leaving, he en- gaged in farming and stock-raising. His success and financial probity were so well known that in 1858, when only twenty-five years old, he was elected county treas- urer, and re-elected in 1860. In 1862, at the call of his country, he enlisted in the IOIst Indiana Volunteers, and was commissioned captain the 15th of August of the same year. In 1863 he became major of his regi- ment, which saw much active service. It was engaged in most of the battles of Thomas and Sherman, and marched with the latter down to the sea, one of the most remarkable military movements recorded in history. After this he proceeded. with his regiment north to Washington, through the Carolinas and Virginia, and thence to Louisville, Kentucky, where he was mustered out with his men. During all this time he never lost a day from sickness or casualty. He immediately went back to Bluffton, resuming his old pursuits of farming and stock-raising. In 1866 he accepted the position of cashier of the First National Bank of Bluffton. In 1869 he became a partner in John Studabaker & Co., a bank- ing institution, since reorganized as the Exchange Bank of Bluffton, in which he has had eminent success. In 1874 he was elected commissioner of his county, and re- elected in 1876. In politics he is a consistent Demo- crat. He is a member of the Baptist Church, and the Masons hail him as a member; he joined them in 1864, and has taken the third degree. Major Studabaker was married, on the 28th of October, 1852, to Sarah Morgan, a lady of great worth, the daughter of John Morgan, an extensive miller of Ohio. They have five children living, three boys and two girls. He is highly esteemed in the community in which he lives, and, in fact, throughout the state, as an honorable, upright gentle- man, who has won his position by integrity and indus- try, and whose naturally pleasing manners have been supplemented by extensive travel throughout the United States.

TEELE, MAJOR GEORGE W., of Marion, was born in Fayette County, Indiana, December 13, 1839. He is the oldest living son of Colonel Asbury and Louisa (Wadom) Steele. The family moved, in 1843, to Marion, where he attended a com- mon school for several years, and then entered the Wesleyan University, in Delaware, Ohio. On leaving

college he commenced the study of law in his father's office, in Marion; he was admitted to the bar in Feb- ruary, 1861, and began practice in Hartford, Blackford County, April II of that year. But he was to figure in other and far different scenes. The office was to be exchanged for the camp, and the court for the field of battle. The long conflict of interests between the North and the South had culminated in an appeal to the sword, and Indiana, with her sister states, was arming for the struggle. Hearing that a company was forming in Ma- rion for the 8th Indiana Volunteers, Mr. Steele went to that place, April 24th, and enlisted as a private. On reaching Indianapolis the company was found to be too large ; and the surplus men, with the addition of others, were formed into another company, which was made a part of the 12th Indiana Infantry, with Mr. Steele as their first lieutenant. He took part in all the engage- ments of that year in the Ohio and Shenandoah Valleys and the Upper Potomac, in which the regiment was engaged. It was discharged at the expiration of its term of service, May 19, 1862. The following summer he raised a company, becoming second lieutenant, and joined the IOIst Indiana Volunteers. September 6 he was commissioned first lieutenant, and, the same day, captain of Company I, which was immediately sent to join the Army of the Cumberland. January 8, 1863, he was elected major, by the officers of the regiment. Major Steele spent nearly two years in active service in the field, including the fight at Perryville and the severe engagement at Milton, Georgia, besides a number of minor battles and skirmishes, and proved himself a brave and competent officer. Recognizing this fact, the officers elected him, in June, 1863, lieutenant-colonel, but, the regiment having been depleted by battle and exposure to less than the minimum, Major Steele could not thus be mustered in. The regiment's next en- counter with the enemy was at Hooper's Gap; then followed Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, and Taylor's Ridge in Georgia, after which came that series of victories that culminated in the capture of At- lanta. In all these, Major Steele, acting as lieutenant- colonel, fought 'at the head of the gallant IOIst, win- ning unfading laurels. Under his, direction a bridge eleven hundred feet long was built in twelve hours across the Chattahoochee, the men pulling down houses to get lumber for that purpose. He then hurried on with the army in pursuit of Hood, tearing up and destroying the Atlanta and Chattanooga Railroad on the way. In the march to the sea the IOIst bore a conspicuous part. They captured horses and mules and mounted them till few of the regiment remained on foot, and it had be- come, as the major facetiously remarked, the "largest bummer squad of the war." They secured also an am- ple supply of provisions ; the animals numbered over seven hundred, all of which were turned over to the

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quartermaster. Marching through the Carolinas, Major | join his company at Camp Grant, Arizona. Here he Steele pursued a Confederate force and captured thirty prisoners. The next day, while acting with twenty men on detached service, near Fayetteville, North Carolina, supposing that town in possession of our troops, he came suddenly upon the Confederate outposts. " Halt !" was the command, and a dozen muskets were leveled upon him. Being in advance of his men, he must rely upon his wits for escape. He resolved to deceive the enemy, and the resemblance of his dress to that of a Confederate officer, and his knowledge of the hostile commander's name, favored his purpose. Riding boldly up, he asked, "Where is Butler?" "Over there," answered the man addressed, pointing to a not distant camp. "No; Butler's men have different horses from those," replied the major ; "I must see him, or write him a note; have you any paper?" He knew they had none, and, on their replying in the negative, said, " Well, I have some myself," and returned, as if to get it. Dividing his men into two squads, and directing them to feign drunkenness and advance irregularly, but so as to outflank the Confederates and prevent their retreat, he rode directly up to the one in command, as if to hand him a letter, and said, "I've been fooling you ;" then, drawing a revolver, added, "I am a Union officer, will you fight or surrender?" " I surrender," replied the astonished and discomfited Confederate. Major Steele hurried his prisoners, twelve in number, to headquarters, then marched back to his command. The following day he was appointed to lead the skir- mishers, because of his knowledge of the country, and before night he entered Fayetteville; a few days after- ward he engaged in the battle of Bentonville. He was at Pond's Springs, near Greensboro, when Johnston's army surrendered at the latter place. He then went, via Richmond, to Washington, where the regiment was ordered to Louisville, thence to Indianapolis, where it was discharged, July 5, 1865. Major Steele served through the entire war, in every Southern state east of the Mississippi, having engaged in nineteen battles be- sides many skirmishes, a proud record to hand down to posterity. On laying by the sword he returned to the arts of peace, to farming and the real estate business. The following year, October 11, 1866, he married Miss Marietta, daughter of Hon. A. C. Swayzee. , But his military career was not yet ended. He was commis- sioned, February 23, 1866, first lieutenant in the 14th United States Infantry, and ordered to. Governor's Island, New York harbor, and thence to David's Island. His faithful wife accompanied him thither and through all his subsequent service in the regular army, for months at a time, while in the West, she did not see a white woman. In the spring of 1867 Lieutenant Steele was ordered by sea to San Francisco, and remained 1

served until July, 1868, when he was made regimental quartermaster, and ordered to Fort Yuma. Remaining there till April, 1869, he was then sent to Drum Barracks, California, and afterward to Tennessee. The headquar- ters of the regiment were established at Ash Barracks, near Nashville. At this place his daughter Meta was born. The Indians along the Upper Missouri becoming hostile, the regiment was transferred in May, 1870, to that region, and distributed at various points between Forts Randall and Thompson, with headquarters at Fort Randall. Lieutenant Steele endured the monotony of life on the far frontier about four and a half years, until, in October, 1872, he returned home on leave of absence. While there he was ordered to report to General Davis, New York City, for recruiting service, and, on obeying, was intrusted with the duty of conducting a detachment of troops to Austin, Texas. This done he was stationed at Indianapolis, having previously resigned the position of quartermaster. While in that city in the summer of 1874, he built a pork-packing establishment at Marion, and, receiving leave of absence, carried on that busi- ness during the following winter. February 19, 1875, he rejoined his regiment at Camp Douglas, Salt Lake City, and was made depot quartermaster at Ogden, where he remained until August, 1875. He then re- ceived a six months' leave of absence, accompanied with a tender of his resignation, to take effect at the end of that period. Thus Major Steele added to his war record an experience of nearly ten years in the regular army, making a military career of fifteen years, during which he traveled through nearly every state and terri- tory in the Union. In February, 1876, he again engaged in the pork-packing business, in which he is still success- fully employed. In building the pork-house and start- ing the business he used, besides his own, a borrowed capital; but such was his ability in management that the debt was paid the first season. He attributes his suc- cess in great measure to the assistance of T. R. Jenkins, of Baltimore, and the late James Sweetser, of Marion. The transactions between himself and these gentlemen form a rare exception to most others in exhibiting a perfect faith of man in his fellow-man. Major Steele was at times indebted to either one or the other in sums of from seventy-five thousand dollars to one hundred and twenty-six thousand dollars, without any contracts or writings; and they never had reason to regret the trust placed in him. No greater evidence than this of a man's integrity could be given. Major Steele is a Re- publican, and at the district convention in June, 1876, received a large vote for nomination to Congress. Few have lived so eventful a life, and, before the age of forty, accomplished so much both in war and peace. Considering his capabilities, his justly earned wealth,

there until June of that year, when he was directed to and his honorable military services, Major George W.

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Steele fully merits, as he enjoys, the confidence and respect of the people of Grant County. June 19, 1879, George Steele, junior, was born.

HUNK, COLONEL DAVID, of Marion, was born at Tarrytown, Carroll County, Maryland, Septem- ber 23, 1822; and died in Marion, Indiana, at the residence of Mr. Samuel McClure, in February, 1865. He emigrated to Cardington, Ohio, when fifteen years of age, remaining there until 1844, during which period he served an apprenticeship at the wagon and carriage making business, and, in October of that year, removed to Marion, Indiana. While our country was involved in war with Mexico, he organized a company of volunteers, and, entering the United States' service in the 5th Indiana Infantry, proceeded to the City of Mex- ico. At the conclusion of the war, on being mustered out of service, he returned to Marion, and resumed his peaceful occupation of carriage building, which he fol- lowed until 1850. He then established himself in busi- ness as a merchant, in which he was engaged at the breaking out of the Civil War. The echo of the guns of Fort Sumter had scarcely died away when Mr. Shunk again forsook his home for the tented field, and, in two days after the Governor's proclamation was issued, he arrived at Indianapolis with a company of one hundred and twenty men, partially armed and equipped. In the organization of the first six regiments, his company was assigned to the 8th; he was appointed major, and was with the regiment in that capacity during its campaign in Western Virginia, taking a prominent part in the battle of Rich Mountain, where he acquired great credit for his coolness in the engagement. At the expiration of the term for which the regiment was mustered into service, he returned with it to Indianapolis, and at the

reorganization was promoted to the rank of lieutenant- colonel, vice Colgrove appointed colonel of the 27th In- diana, and accompanied the regiment in its campaigns under Generals Fremont, Halleck, and Pope. At the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, being ordered to attack the enemy with the left wing of this regiment, he dis- played, during the two days' engagement that ensued, so much coolness as to win the admiration of all his men. At Sulphur Rock, Arkansas, in April, 1862, he was appointed colonel, vice Benton promoted to briga- dier-general of volunteers ; and, in command of the reg- iment, shared the toils and privations of General Curtis's command in that memorable march, through the wilds of Missouri and Arkansas, to Helena, in the latter state. On the organization of General Grant's army for the re- duction of Vicksburg, his regiment having been assigned to tlfe Fourteenth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps, Colonel Shunk, with his command, participated in the

battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Black River Bridge, and the sieges of Vicksburg and Jackson, distin- guishing himself in all these engagements by his gal- lantry and presence of mind. At the close of the Mississippi campaign, the Thirteenth Army Corps be- ing transferred to the Department of the Gulf, Colonel Shunk, in command of the First Brigade, First Division, proceeded to Carrollton, Louisiana. In that capacity he accompanied the Teche expedition, and thence went to Texas. Colonel Shunk was a brave soldier, a benevo- lent man, and a genial friend, winning the love and respect of all with whom he came in contact. Had all our commanders equaled him, the Union cause would have been more speedily triumphant. Before his death he was made a brigadier-general by brevet.

TUDABAKER, JOHN, president of the Bluffton Exchange Bank, was born in Darke County, Ohio, August 15, 1817. He is the son of Abraham (and Mary) Studabaker, who was county commissioner for some twelve years. His education was received in an old log school-house, educational advantages at that time being but few, and to his indomitable pluck, en- ergy, and perseverance, added to his native talent, is to be ascribed his success in life. He began his commer- cial career in a small store in Greenville, Ohio, where he remained until 1838, when he removed to Wells County, Indiana, bought a stock of goods, and went into mercan- tile business there, opening on the site of the present city of Bluffton in a small log-cabin, the country at the time being occupied by Indians, with whom he did most of his trading. He is a man of great physical as well as mental activity and resources, having in those days frequently walked from his home to Fort Wayne and returned in one day, a distance of fifty miles, and he still retains in the most remarkable degree his health, activ- ity, and power of endurance. He continued his business, in which he was highly successful, until 1856, when he started the Exchange Bank. In 1863 it was organized as the First National, of which he was the president. At the expiration of five years it withdrew from its posi- tion among the national banks, and, in company with his brother and nephew, Mr. Studabaker organized the present "Exchange Bank," which is doing a large and general banking business, being the bank of the town. Mr. Studabaker is also extensively engaged in the pro- duce business, Mr. Waring and David E. Studabaker being members of the firm, one of the most extensive in their part of the state. Its sales amount to about five hundred thousand dollars a year. He has been a member of the Methodist Church since 1844. In pol- itics he is a most ardent Greenbacker, and in 1878 was the Greenback candidate for Congress, and polled eight

Artm. Hudala ker

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thousand eight hundred and fifty-one votes in his dis- trict. He has for a long time been a most active worker in the temperance cause, his first efforts in that direction dating back as far as 1840. He was married, July 7, 1839, to Rebecca Angel, daughter of David Angel, formerly sheriff of Darke County, Ohio, having served two terms, and also at one time a Justice of the Peace. They have had ten children, four only of whom are now living. Five died in childhood. One daughter, the wife of Mr. Waring, is dead, leaving behind her two children, who are still thriving. Mr. Studabaker is a man of fine personal appearance, enjoys good health, and is a man of high integrity, indomitable persever- ance, and social virtues. He is pleasing, affable, and courteous in manner. In him we have one who is hon- ored, esteemed, and respected as a Christian gentleman, and most eminently a "representative man."

WAYZEE, AARON C., merchant, of Marion, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, January 8, 1817, and died at Bowling Green, Kentucky, April 12, 1878. His father, Amos Swayzee, a native of New Jersey, was of French descent. His mother, whose maiden name was Henrietta Mary Crisfield, was born in Maryland. He received instruction in the common English branches, but, losing his father at the age of fourteen, he was unable to acquire a superior education, his time being chiefly employed thereafter in manual labor. His mother, on the death of her hus- band, in 1832, removed to Adams County, Indiana, near Fort Wayne, and, three years later, to Grant County. Aaron Swayzee had learned the trade of shoemaking in Ohio, and this occupied his attention till 1843, when he engaged in the mercantile business in Marion, where he had gone in 1835. Mr. Swayzee was connected with the Republican party, and was elected in 1876 to a seat in the Legislature, as joint Representative from the counties of Grant and Blackford. The Marion Democrat, of April 19, 1878, has the following, with reference to the course taken by Mr. Swayzee in that body :

" During the last session of the Legislature he boldly attacked the members in debate for accepting passes over railroads, which, he argued, would tend to influ- ence their action whenever an issue was to be decided between these corporations and the people. It was a little matter in dollars and cents whether he paid his railroad fare or not; but in this case, as all through his life, he was governed solely by his conscience. There was none of the demagogue in his character. Every-where he was looked up to as a man whose life was spotless, both politically and morally."

In the Methodist Episcopal Church, which he joined in 1832, and of which he remained a faithful and con- sistent member, Mr. Swayzee held a number of official

positions-trustee, Sabbath-school superintendent, class- leader, and steward. For several years he was a mem- ber of the board of trustees of Asbury University, and was elected lay delegate to the Methodist Episcopal Conference held at Baltimore in May, 1876. Zealous and efficient, he traveled over Grant County, organizing Sabbath-schools wherever needed, and, as president of the County Sabbath - school Association, visiting and aiding those already established. In 1877 Mr. Swayzee, being in poor health, went to Northern Georgia, hop- ing that the salubrious climate and beautiful scenery of that region would reinvigorate his enfeebled frame. But the sands of life had too nearly run; and a few months afterward, while on his homeward journey, he expired at Bowling Green, Kentucky. He died as he had lived, in the faith of the Gospel, saying, " Blessed Jesus, take my spirit." The religious fervor that char- acterized Mr. Swayzee is illustrated in the following lines from his pen :

" Lord, I hear thy welcome voice, That calls me now to thee,

. For cleansing in thy precious blood, That flowed on Calvary.

I come, though weak and vile, Thy saving grace to prove ; I come to seek thy precious smile And know thy perfect love.

I come to do thy will, And walk in wisdom's ways ; Thy pure commandments to fulfill, And serve thee all my days.

I come to work for thee. Lord, teach me how to serve, That dying men in me may see The light of Christian love.

And, coming, I am blessed- Yes, all renewed I am; My ransomed soul has perfect rest, Through the atoning Lamb."

The Republican joint Representative Convention at Hartford, Blackford County, in April, 1878, paid a tribute to the memory of Aaron Swayzee, in these resolutions :

" Whereas, The late joint Representative in the Gen- eral Assembly for the counties of Blackford and Grant, Hon. A. C. Swayzee, has recently deceased ; therefore, be it

" Resolved, That his late constituents have learned of the sad event with painful regret, and that this con- vention tenders his sorrowing family its sincere sympathy.

" Resolved, That the conscientious and able manner in which Mr. Swayzee discharged the duties of his posi- tion has met with the cordial indorsement of his con- stituents, and given him an honorable standing among his fellow-members and among the citizens of the state."

Aaron C. Swayzee possessed a lofty moral purpose that was at once the distinguishing trait of his character and the motive power of his life. He sought the ap-

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proval of his conscience, rather than the patronage or the praise of men ; righteousness was more to him than either wealth or popularity. His convictions, once formed, became fixed, and all of his courage and strength of will was exerted in their defense. But in this there was no malice; for he labored to promote the lasting good of others, employing the gentlest means available to attain his ends, and whenever he found himself in error frankly confessing it and making due reparation. He was a strong pillar in the Church, a stern guardian of religion, and an exemplary and kind- hearted teacher of its principles. He was evidently a man of much natural capacity ; for, though he began in poverty, with a limited education, he acquired, by dili- gence, wise management, and just dealing, an ample competence, and fitted himself to fill with credit respon- sible positions in both Church and state. None who knew and appreciated his pure motives and exalted aims could be his enemies; and his death was widely felt, as a loss to moral and religious interests not easily repaired. Mr. Swayzee married, February 16, 1841, Miss Minerva Hodge, who survives her beloved husband. She is a native of Randolph County, Indiana, to which place her parents removed while it was yet a wilderness. IIer father, John Hodge, was born in Pennsylvania, and her mother, whose name before marriage was Elizabeth Barnes, was a native of Delaware. Three sons and two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Swayzee are now living : Louise, wife of Doctor W. C. Harrington, of Oakland, California; Marietta, wife of Major George W. Steele, of Marion; James Watson, a merchant in that city; Frank Crisfield, also of Oakland, California; and Mark Lincoln, a lad of fourteen, still at home.

WEETSER, JAMES, merchant and banker, of Marion, Grant County, was born in Dummerston, Windham County, Vermont, February 22, 1815, and died in Marion, Indiana, June 2, 1878. He was the third son in a family of nine children, whose parents, William and Delight (Pierce) Sweetser, were natives of Massachusetts, and of Scotch descent. The mother's brother, Gad Pierce, built the first bridge across Niagara River. Mr. Sweetser's only educational advan- tages were those afforded by the common schools of Ohio, to which state the family removed in the year of his birth. His boyhood was passed on his father's farm. In 1832, at the age of seventeen, he came to Indiana, and engaged as a clerk in a general store in Anderson. After two years he removed to Wabash, and became business manager for Hugh IIanna, one of the found- ers of that city, acting in that capacity about two years. On July 23, 1837, he was married to Miss Ann, daugh- ter of Edward and Joanna Vermilyea, and sister of Jesse

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A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume II, Part 77

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1006

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1006